Crisis Nursery Blog

Every week, over 150 volunteers help out around Crisis Nursery. Volunteers assist in numerous ways, from caring for the children at the Nursery alongside staff, to tending the beautiful flowers in our gardens, or even helping out as a board member spreading the Nursery's mission through the community. All that happens at Crisis Nursery every day of the year is possible only with the help of our many outstanding volunteers who selflessly give their time to help the Nursery fulfill its mission of preventing child abuse and neglect in Champaign County. In fiscal year 2015, volunteers provided the Nursery with over 16,000 hours of service. Thank you, volunteers!

We are excited to introduce a new, monthly Volunteer Spotlight to recognize some of our wonderful volunteers. Everyone at Crisis Nursery would like to say thank you to Christina Parks, our Volunteer of the Month for July! She has been volunteering at the Nursery for the past three months and has already made a big impact. Nursery staff nominated Christina...

One of the greatest ways to see the impact of Crisis Nursery’s Beyond Blue program is through the stories of the mothers who participate. We recently re-connected with Anna, a mom who participated in Beyond Blue a couple of years ago during her second pregnancy and throughout the first year of her son’s life. Her continued success shows the value this program adds to our community.

Early this spring, a local counselor reached out to us, asking if we'd be interested in writing a short article about a topic related to Crisis Nursery for her website. Since parental stress is our most common reason for admission, we explored that topic. While this was first published on the counselor's blog, we thought our readers here may be interested in it as well!

While there is a lot of joy in parenting, all parents know that parenting can also be stressful. It is common for parents to feel overwhelmed, and it is easy to understand how that can happen. In the first years of life, without language, children cannot exactly tell you what they need – and they need a lot! Parenting is a full time commitment, and it can be hard to adjust to it. Also, parents want what’s best for their children, and it can be nerve-wracking to determine what that is, or how to provide it.

While stress is natural, too much of it can have an impact on the relationship between a parent and a child, as well as on the...

The continued success of the Children's Holiday Shop depends on nearly 400 dedicated community volunteers. This year, we welcomed collegiate and high school athletes, student councils, civic clubs, community members, full families and even those who used to shop at the store as children.

Sometimes it’s easy to forget that there is more to Thanksgiving than mashed potatoes and football (the members of my family are probably reading this and shaking their heads right now!) With the hustle of the holidays upon us already, it’s a great time to pause and reflect on how we’ve been blessed in our own lives, in ways big and small.

Like many Crisis Nursery volunteers, the allure of rocking babies and playing with toddlers is what led Peggy Gates-Wieneke to the Nursery. But now, almost 20 years later, it’s apparent that her experience working with the organization has turned into much more.

Thank you to everyone who came out to celebrate the spookiest of holidays at the Crisis Nursery Halloween Party! It was a huge success; we saw 27 families (11 were brand new to Crisis Nursery) and 63 children this year! Many faces and pumpkins were painted and the candy and cuteness factor was overflowing.

It’s that time of year again, when ghouls and witches walk alongside princesses and pumpkins in a challenge to see who can get the most candy. Halloween is a wonderful time of year and here at Crisis Nursery, it’s yet another wonderful reason to dress up in the famous bear costume!

Every year around the holiday season, people get a little busier. There are parties to attend, lots of shopping to be done, and the days just seem shorter with fewer hours of daylight. Given that Crisis Nursery’s Children’s Holiday Shop, held the first full week in December, falls during this hectic time of year, you might think filling volunteer shifts at the Shop would be difficult. Fortunately for the Nursery, and the nearly 1,000 children who shop at the store, that’s not the case.